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Seqirus invest £40m & create new jobs

Nearly a hundred new high tech jobs are to be created at the Liverpool manufacturing site of Seqirus, one of the world’s largest influenza vaccine companies, as a result of major new £40m investment.

The Liverpool site manufactures bulk material for a range of influenza vaccines, including an adjuvanted influenza vaccine designed for people aged 65 years and above. The bulk material is currently shipped to Italy where it is filled into vials and syringes by a contract manufacturer.

Seqirus has taken the decision to bring this capability in-house, choosing to invest in a new and expanded fill-and-finish facility on the Liverpool site. The investment will help meet growing demand for its adjuvanted influenza vaccine, strengthen reliability of supply and bolster pandemic response.

Business Secretary, Greg Clark cutting the ribbon to open the new £40m fill-and-finish facility that will create nearly 100 jobs / Picture: Sequris

Seqirus already contributes over £1 billion to the UK economy each year. The new ‘fill-and-finish’ facility will help drive economic growth by creating 88 new high-value jobs at the Liverpool site, adding to the 600 already employed there, supporting supplier partnerships and increasing exports.

Seqirus’ adjuvanted influenza vaccine is specifically designed to enhance the immune response in older adults, offering greater protection compared to conventional influenza vaccines. The product is licensed in major global markets and was recently approved in the UK for supply in the 2018/19 influenza season. It is the only licensed seasonal influenza vaccine of its kind in the world.

Gordon Naylor, President of Seqirus said: “Our Liverpool site, the largest influenza vaccine manufacturing facility in the UK, and one of the largest in Europe, is well-placed to supply the UK with an enhanced influenza vaccine for people aged 65 years plus. It will also be an export success story, primed to supply this vaccine to countries where it is already licensed in Europe and North America, and to countries in Latin America and Australasia where regulatory submissions are ongoing. This investment is a sign of Seqirus’ continued commitment to public health and to the Liverpool region as a leading biotechnology hub.”

This latest £40m project takes the company’s investment in the site to over £60m since CSL acquired the Novartis influenza vaccine business in July 2015 to create Seqirus.

The investment was led by Seqirus deciding to bring the fill-and-finish capability in-house at their facility in Liverpool / Picture: Seqirus

Business Secretary, Greg Clark added: “Through the Industrial Strategy, the Government is building on our world-leading strengths in research and innovation, and quickening the pace of scientific discovery – backed by £4.7 billion, the largest increase in investment in R&D for 40 years. The new highly skilled manufacturing roles Seqirus is creating in Liverpool will help develop pioneering vaccines to tackle the global problem of influenza. This investment, achieved by the board, Government and local leaders working together, is a huge vote of confidence our thriving biotechnology sector.”

In addition to its role in the supply of seasonal influenza vaccine, Seqirus is a global leader in pandemic preparedness and response. The company is contracted by the UK Government to be in constant a state of readiness for the production of pandemic influenza vaccine during a pandemic emergency.

Dr Laura O’Brien, Vice President of Operations and Site Head at Liverpool, concluded: “Speed is of the essence in a pandemic situation. This investment means we can complete production of more pandemic vaccine much more rapidly, saving vital days in getting vaccines out to protect the British population as well as to other countries around the world.”

The new fill and finish facility at the Seqirus Liverpool site will be fully operational in 2019.